


What the Future Has in Store

by Briar_Rose7



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-18 21:26:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11299161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Briar_Rose7/pseuds/Briar_Rose7
Summary: Rumplestiltskin and Belle are falling apart every day more, but Belle doesn't want her son to grow up without a father. Will she be brave enough to give Rumplestiltskin another chance, or will the distance between them become insurmountable?





	What the Future Has in Store

**Author's Note:**

> [evilsnowswan](http://evilsnowswan.tumblr.com) prompted: Rumbelle: #16 “If you want, we could go together?”
> 
> Infinite thanks to [still-searching47](http://still-searching47.tumblr.com), my amazing beta.

Belle hesitated in front of the pawnshop’s door, trying to gather up her courage and enter. She hadn’t seen or talked to Rumplestiltskin since the day when he’d trapped her on the Jolly Roger, and she still wasn’t sure she could forgive him for that. He knew how much she loathed being trapped, how important it was for her that he respected her boundaries, yet he’d trapped her anyway. He’d never used his magic like that on her, and she had felt utterly betrayed. As the days passed, however, she’d had to admit that, in a twisted way, he’d only been trying to protect her. She wasn’t justifying his actions by any means, but deep down she knew that Rumplestiltskin was just desperate to protect his son and be a part of his life; the tape he’d sent her was a constant reminder of that.

That’s why she’d decided to give him another chance. Not as a husband, but as a parent; she didn’t want her son to grow up without a father, not if she could help it. If Rumplestiltskin showed her that he could put his son first, and actually listen to her instead of taking all the decisions himself, maybe they could make it work. 

The little bell over the door jingled when she finally stepped inside. Rumplestiltskin looked up from the counter, and his face immediately lit up when he saw her.

“Belle,” he whispered, his tone soft and warm, as it had always been when they were together. There was no trace of the bitter man who’d argued with her at the docks, and for a moment it was like he didn’t even remember that they weren’t a couple anymore; he was just so genuinely happy to see her. Then his expression turned sadder, even guilty, as reality came crashing down on him. 

“Why are you here? Is everything alright?” he asked immediately, eyeing her belly anxiously. 

“Yes, I’m fine. We’re fine,” Belle replied, feeling painfully awkward. She bit her lip, not sure how to go on. “I… I actually have my first sonogram today. I was thinking… if you want, we could go together?”

God, she wanted to cry. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. They should be celebrating her pregnancy, preparing together for the arrival of their son, maybe even arguing on how to decorate the nursery. A part of her wished they still lived together, that she could wake up in his arms and smile as he kissed her stomach and whispered that he loved them both. She was so angry at him, yet at the same time she was so desperate for his love and support. It was like she was going mad. 

As Belle was torn apart by her inner battle, Rumplestiltskin gaped at her, completely taken aback by her suggestion. It took him a while to snap out of his stupor.

“Yes, yes of course. Do you want me to come pick you up at the docks?”

Rumplestiltskin wanted nothing more than to hug her, to hold her close and thank her for the new chance she was giving him. He hadn’t even thought about the sonograms, and even if he had he wouldn’t have expected her to invite him along. He had thought she hated him, and she probably had many reasons to do so, yet here she was, offering him a chance to witness an important moment of her pregnancy. Still, he didn’t believe she would welcome his touch, so instead of hugging her as he wished, he just stood behind the counter, and agreed to come pick her up at the docks.

He was so anxious about being late, that they arrived at the hospital unbelievably early, and Rumplestiltskin realized in horror that this would mean sitting awkwardly in the waiting room for who knows how long. The car ride had been embarrassing enough, with a tense silence hanging between them, and the cheerful atmosphere of the gynecology ward didn’t help. The walls were covered with ads picturing happy families, with smiling parents holding their perfect babies, and Rumplestiltskin felt all the weight and the shame of the damage he’d done to his own family. He and Belle could have been so happy if only he hadn’t ruined everything. He wished he knew what to say. Belle was breathtakingly beautiful in her blue and grey dress, but her expression was tense and nervous, and it wasn’t fair; she should have been glowing with joy. He missed her smile, and he missed being the one who made her happy. 

“Belle,” he said eventually, not even knowing what he would say. 

Belle turned towards him so quickly that for a moment he feared she had hurt her neck. 

“Yes?” she said tentatively, as if she’d been waiting for him to speak.

“I… I’m sorry. For everything, for making this all so difficult. More than anything, I’m sorry for trapping you on that boat. It was stupid and insensitive; I’ll never do anything like that again,” he murmured, hoping that she’d sense the regret and the honesty in his words.

“You hurt me so much,” she replied shortly, her eyes welling up with tears.

Rumplestiltskin wanted to slap himself; now he was making her cry!

“I know, believe me, I know. I was just so scared for you and our child, and I felt so guilty for putting you in danger, and you wouldn’t even listen to me… I really don’t know what came over me. I overreacted,” he explained. 

“We almost lost our baby because of that,” she said, but there was more fear than anger in her eyes. “But you were right on the fact that I was in danger. Even if I hadn’t been trapped, how far could I have run before Jekyll caught up with me? I was stupidly stubborn, and I endangered our child just because I didn’t want to prove you right. I’m sorry as well.”

“Oh Belle,” he whispered, tears filling his eyes and blurring his vision.

He took her hand in his, unable to find the words to express his feelings. When Hyde had forced him to watch as his wife and son’s lives were in danger, he’d thought he’d die of heartbreak. The thought of losing either of them stole the breath away from him, and in Belle’s eyes he could see the same fear. For the first time in too long, their thoughts and feelings were once again aligned, and he missed that feeling, missed the sensation of prefect understanding that they’d once shared. He was about to speak again when the nurse called Belle’s name. 

Rumplestiltskin followed Belle into the doctor’s room, trying and failing to ignore the fact that Belle had booked the sonogram as “Belle French”. Of course, they were no longer a married couple in any aspect, yet it still pained him to hear it. He couldn’t help but think of how happy she used to be whenever he called her Mrs Gold, an endearment he only reserved for their most private and meaningful moments, like their first dance. 

He was so caught up in his wistful memories that it was hard to focus on what the doctor was saying. His attention was brought fully back to the present when Belle realized that, to apply the gel for the sonogram, she’d have to pull her dress almost all the way up.

“I should have worn pants, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize…” she stammered apologetically to the doctor, feeling extremely stupid.

Rumplestiltskin immediately realized what the problem was; Belle was obviously feeling awkward at the idea of being almost completely naked in front of him. Once again, Rumplestiltskin cursed himself for complicating everything, and he was about to suggest that he leave when the doctor found her a blanket that Belle could use to cover her legs. Belle smiled thankfully, and even if the doctor looked a bit confused about why Belle would be so self conscious in front of her child’s father, she didn’t say anything about it. 

Rumplestiltskin held his breath as the first image appeared on the screen, and he squinted as he tried to discern his son amidst what looked like a bunch of nonsensical black and white spots. 

“Here’s your child,” the doctor said, pointing her finger at the screen. 

Rumplestiltskin felt his heart skip a beat, and in that moment his entire world shrunk down to that little dot on the screen telling him that his son was real, that he was fine, and that maybe this time around Rumplestiltskin could do things right. He wanted so badly to be a good father. He was so focused on his son that it took him a moment to realize that Belle had taken hold of his hand, and that she was squeezing it enough to hurt. He turned around to look at her, and saw happy tears in her eyes. 

“Rumple, can you believe it? That’s our baby,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.

“And you haven’t heard the best part yet,” the doctor said. Then she pressed a button, and a rhythmic thumping sound filled the room. “That’s your child’s heartbeat. Don’t worry, it’s normal for it to beat so fast,” she explained. 

Tears started rolling down Rumplestiltskin’s cheeks, and he felt his knees go weak with the emotion. He had to lean on the examination table for support, but Belle didn’t seem to mind. On the contrary, she dragged him even closer, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck. She wanted to say something, to tell him just how much this moment meant to her, to explain that she was and would always be extremely happy that he was her child’s father, and that somehow, despite their relationship being so broken, together they’d managed to create something so beautiful.

Rumplestiltskin held Belle as she sobbed quietly on his shoulder, listening to her choked attempts at expressing the same, overwhelming emotion he felt. A tentative smile formed on his lips as he realized that Belle was trusting him to comfort her, that she’d sought refuge in his arms in a moment of vulnerability. It was like part of the wall that she’d built between them in the past few weeks was finally coming down. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that he loved her, that he was so thankful for the chance she’d given him, and that he’d do anything to be worthy of her and their child. He knew, however, that his promises no longer meant anything to her, and that he would probably just upset her further; so he held back, and stayed silent.

“I’m sorry,” she hiccuped eventually, pulling back from his embrace once the moment had passed and the tears had stopped.

“Hey, there’s nothing to apologize for. We were both really emotional,” he whispered, gently cupping her cheek in his hand. He knew there was a chance that she would pull back, and that he should have probably avoided doing that, but he just couldn’t stop himself. She was so beautiful and so sad, and he felt the need to protect and comfort her.

It was only then that they realized that they were alone in the room. At some point, the doctor must have left, probably to give them that moment alone. Rumplestiltskin was extremely grateful for that. 

“So, uhm, shall we go home?” Belle murmured somewhat awkwardly, wiping the ultrasound gel off of her belly. 

“Yes, of course,” Rumplestiltskin agreed hastily. 

“Speaking of home, I was thinking… maybe I should leave the Jolly Roger after all. It’s not safe, and it’s not really comfortable either. It was fun for a few days, but now I’m starting to miss things like indoor plumbing,” Belle said tentatively. There was a flash of hope in Rumple’s eyes, and her heart ached at the thought of having to quell it.

“I’m not coming back home, Rumple, but I’m looking for an alternative, and I was hoping you could give me a few suggestions. Granny’s would be nice, but, well, with all the new arrivals from the Land of Untold Stories it has become really too chaotic. My old apartment over the library is a bit too small and a bit too noisy, since it’s right under the clock tower. I was thinking that maybe, since you own most of the town, you could help me find somewhere nice? Maybe we could discuss it over a cup of tea,” she suggested nervously.

Rumplestiltskin knew that he had been foolish to believe, even for a moment, that she would come return to living with him, but hearing the truth hurt him nonetheless. Still, if she needed a home, that’s exactly what he would help her find. At least she was letting him help, and she wasn’t opposed to spending time in his presence; he could work with that. He would be patient, he would be there for her in any way she needed him, and maybe, in time, they’d be able to rebuild what they’d once shared.

Rumplestiltskin helped Belle get down from the examination table, and as his hand clutched hers, he vowed to himself that, this time, he wouldn’t waste his chance. 


End file.
